DJR in the DR Trip Transforms Lives, Abroad and At Home

DJR Residents featured in the photo from left to right are Gianna Schneider, Kennedy Kennerson, Courtney Barnes, Diana Guerrero, Christian Mitchell, Sienzhi Kouemo, and Eren Hernandez.

Over the last several years, the trips to the Dominican Republic have been transformative for our Dana Juett Residents, and this year was no exception. During the trip, cohort members gained a profound international perspective through the lens of local business owners and social enterprises. The Residents learn from local business owners and operators how challenges can be addressed in developing countries through innovation, collaboration, and the intentional and deliberate employment of resources and capital.

At Chocal, a women-operated and founded cooperative chocolate factory, the Residents saw firsthand how individuals and communities can use common interests and skills to address economic and social challenges. Initially, either subsistence farmers or workers for large chocolate producers in the area, the women who founded Chocal united to craft chocolate products independently while supporting women and their families. Their entrepreneurship has created economic stability, healthcare, and a robust sense of supportive community across the region. Additionally, the Residents visited with an American who moved to the DR many years ago and started a beach restaurant to discuss the pros and cons of Americans who immigrate to countries with emerging economies and their effect on their new local community.

A visit to Dove Youth Development in Barrio, Haiti, an area grappling with extreme economic adversity, allowed the Residents to interact with the students and visit their homes. During this experience, the Residents gained greater insight into the community and what daily life looks like in an economically advantaged area. Residents saw firsthand how, despite abundant resources, many living in Barrio Haiti are proud of their community and welcomed the Residents to the barrio.

Additionally, the groups continued their focus on social enterprises with a visit to Monkey Jungle DR, a dual-purpose zipline and monkey sanctuary funding a vital medical and dental clinic. The Founder, Chuck Ritzer, has deep ties to Dallas. Additional visits included two nonprofits addressing similar challenges through unique lenses. Mariposa Foundation focuses on empowering girls through education, including job skills training at a coffee shop operated by the foundation. InspireDR educates and mentors boys through aquatics, computer literacy, ESL, Public Speaking, Social Enterprise, Sports, and workshops such as carpentry. During both visits, the Residents learned about the challenges faced by children in the DR and how nonprofits are working to address these challenges through both individual and collaborative lenses.

True to our values of transformation rather than extraction, the Residents led a fundraising effort to support each of the nonprofits visited and as a way to express our gratitude for the time and wisdom shared by their staff. While each group of Residents was only there for five days, the experience was profound. Witnessing communities solve the same social problems that we face here in Dallas with little to no resources. By the end of the trip, the Residents underwent a shift in perspective and understood that when it comes to addressing issues and challenges in Dallas, there are no excuses for a failure to come up with effective and impactful solutions, given the abundance of resources available in Dallas.

The Dana Juett Residency teaches young professionals how to do good better earlier, founded on the idea that you don’t have to wait to be a philanthropist. Through nine months of hands-on venture philanthropy learning, the Residency program helps the next generation of leaders in Dallas how they can contribute their skills to make a real impact together now. If you are interested in supporting The Dana Juett Residency Program, please email dogoodbetter@svpdallas.org.